Of Past Lives and Botanists
by FreezePride
Summary: Characters: Even (Vexen), Lumaria (Marluxia) College AU, How exactly did Even manage to get himself in these sorts of cornered situations? How could he POSSIBLY get himself back out again? [ MarVex, 411, Even/Lumaria ]


Even had never been in this type of predicament before and he couldn't even begin to assess how or why. He stood, his back to the pristine, white door of his office, wondering how this could possibly be remedied, but the situation had gotten out of hand quite quickly and he just simply couldn't begin to know why.

He dared a glance at the other man in his room, leaning easily on his desktop, seemingly casual, but for his lack of interest, those bright eyes never seemed to leave Even. His expression told volumes, all of which was entirely unreadable. He seemed on the verge of speech when his petal colored lips curved into a smile. Damn. He cast his eyes away once again. It seemed impossible that someone should look that strikingly perfect. Even's stomach fluttered and curled at the thought that such a face could only be hiding darker intentions.

How had this happened? Perhaps he should begin at the most logical point: the beginning.

Gardeners were rarely seen in the science facilities aside from the necessity of having to speak with a professor or an aid. Yes, students were hired from time to time within the gardening premise to ensure that they one would be able to afford their classes, but it was still an anomaly. When the pale pink haired man seemed to appear out of thin air before his desktop, Even had jumped rather gracelessly, nearly upsetting his current stack of books. The other man seemed to wait for him to settle himself, something of a satisfied air to him despite his lack of a change in emotion. It was quite remarkable, this communication he seemed to emanate.

"You're Even, the prodigy." The young man proclaimed, voice even if not a touch soft with curiosity. "You helped as a teacher's aid in my chemistry class." So, that was why his feathered hair, his easy gait and graceful moves seemed so familiar to him. He had met this counterpart before, but there seemed to be a million of his type on campus. Tightly wound muscles contained within tightly fitting clothes, lost in their ear-buds and the careful choice of which drugs they chose to keep the world at bay with.

But his blue eyes were clear, focused and unblinking. He seemed driven but Even could not even begin to imagine by what, so of course, he never could resist a logical question. "Why are you here?" He began bluntly.

"At first, to drop off the latest specimen to the botany labs." The man continued easily, quirking a brow at Even's derisive snort. Botany, hm? Organic materials were so...natural, so disordered. Disgusting.

"Now, I'm almost certain that I am going to bed you." The gardener finished easily, as though he were talking about going to the supermarket or paying a phone bill. Even choked on his own spit and coughed rather loudly off to the side. The gardener waited rather politely, staring down at him as though this was only to be expected. Was that a smirk on his full lips?

"_Excuse me_?" Even croaked in response.

"It's fine. I tend to have that effect on people." The man continued, shrugging one exquisitely formed shoulder, looping his thumbs into his jean pockets, his eyes still not leaving the scientist before him.

"I don't even know your na-"

"Lumaria. Luma for short."

A beat passed between them, where shock and horror were kept at bay by the sheer amazement that ran through the entire conversation, disbelief painting Even's face. His slender digits rested on the desk before him, his mouth slightly ajar as though trying to find words through the haze of misunderstanding and intrigue which was now coloring his thoughts. Lumaria seemed to be held in the same sensation, silently wondering if he had broken the man before him, unsurprisingly sure that he could do it from the beginning.

"GET OUT." Even screeched, shooting up from his seat. "I have NEVER felt so disrespected in my entire life. I am a graduate and scientist of the highest caliber, award winning and acclaimed among my friends and peers-."

"You haven't got friends." Luma pointed out.

"SILENCE!" He snapped. "I will not allow myself to be so insulted by such a lowly-" He sputtered, trying to think of something worthwhile enough to throw back at him. "student!" He finished lamely. "Get out of my office! I won't suffer you a moment longer!"

But Lumaria had not moved. He had not even attempted to move. He yawned, he stretched, he waited for Even to finish his screaming and wild gesturing, which after a while settled into heavy confusion and continual questioning which in turn gave way to a disbelieving stare.

"I'm going to call the cops."

"No, you're not."

"How do you know?"

"Because I _know_ you."

There was another long pause in which Even's brown furrowed even more deeply in confusion, if that was possible at this point. "We've just met." This was not a question or even a crazed accusation, but a fact he stated with a remarkable note of questioning which he could not even explain.

"Yes, but I know that I love you." Lumaria answered as though he had been expecting this from the beginning. Even, for the first time in ages was quite a bit more dumbfounded than he would ever admit to any of his supposed 'friends and peers'. "I knew I loved you from the moment I saw you. I loved you in all of my past lives, and now in this one, I will love you again." He shrugged that damned shoulder of his and managed to do so somehow with grace and regality.

Even seemed half tempted to scoff, but he could not find words. His jaw hung limply open in amazement, halfway between a word and acceptance of the silence before him.

"You love me as well. You just need a bit of time not to act like a logical idiot." Lumaria continued, a subtle roll of those strikingly bright eyes happening as he sighed. "Tonight is, apparently, not our night, I think." Lumaria affirmed as Even broke eye contact to stare down at the notes on his desk, the words swimming before him, meaning absolutely nothing in the wake of that statement. _I love you _echoed through his mind. _I love you, I love you_. His heart thundered clumsily to a rhythm which he had not meant to be prithee to dance to, ever again. He stumbled over to his door and looked back.

Which is where the scientist found himself currently. Lumaria pushed off of the other man's desk with an easy grace and neared his self-proclaimed partner, giving him a soft, fond kiss on his angular cheek as naturally as if this were a daily conversation, an expected kiss. The scent of rose and lavender was almost cloying, but Even found oddly enough that it seemed to make even the air about him taste sweet. He opened the door on instinct and Lumaria slipped smoothly out into the hall.

A second passed before Even sneezed loudly, sending an unruly stack of papers flying to the floor in response. He was too dumbfounded to even come up with a proper string of grumbling curses as he picked them up, his mind too filled with bright, unreadable eyes and lavender scents.

"I'm too old for this shit." Huffed the twenty five year old as he grabbed his jacket and moved for the door, his mind stuffed full of past lives and botanists.


End file.
